5 Books That Left A Mark, Part Three...

I'm back again! Trying to keep a good pace going with the blogs. That's why I chose to do a Top 5 list and just sort of stretch it out.

Hope you all have had a good week so far! Let's get to the list!

Book Title: Elf Quest

Author: Wendy and Richard Pini

Why it left a lasting impression on me:

Oh my, where to start? I got into these books in high school. I think my Freshman year. I had just moved to a new district and was the "new girl". I didn't know anyone and all of these people had known each other since grade school. It never takes me long to make friends, but still. I didn't talk much, I didn't interact with people all that well. My parents were divorced, I was the youngest of four kids, but practically raised as an only child. You get it, right?

I met a girl named Melissa, too. We hit it off right away and she's the one who introduced me to Elf Quest. After meeting her, I met a lot more people and after reading Elf Quest, I sort of felt like I had found my clan. Melissa wrote fan fiction of Elf Quest and a few other things, as well, but it was kind of a kick when she brought me into it. She gave me a character, and we bounced ideas off each other all the time. I think that is when the writing bug really hit me, but I went the direction of drawing and working on art more than anything. It was something that stuck with me for so long, and we're still friends to this day.

The story of Elf Quest was just as amazing as the art work. I'd spend hours just looking at the pictures after reading one of the graphic novels. I even used a picture of Cutter that I drew in my portfolio to get into art school. It was one of the main reasons I wanted to become a graphic designer. It still sticks with me now.

So tell me about a book that has left a lasting impression upon you!

5 Books That Left A Mark, Part Two...

Hi gang!

I'm continuing on this week with my top 5 books that left a lasting impression on me. I gave fair warning last week, that some of the books that impressed me were part of a series. This is true!

Without further ado, here is #4 on my list as we countdown!

Book Title: The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Why this book left a lasting impression on me:

Oh, so, so many reasons! First of all, let me explain that I never read these books until just before the second movie came out. Yes, yes, I know. I've gotten a lot of flack about that over the years. I mean, seriously, I'm a gamer and touted about writing fantasy and never read these books??

Yes.

One of the biggest reasons these books left a lasting impression on me, is my mother in law. She's passed away a few years ago, but I always think of her when I think of these books. She gave me "The Hobbit" to read. She knew I was writing a fantasy story, asked if I had ever read them and didn't give me grief when I said no. She simply handed me her copy.

After she returned from vacation, she mailed me the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. By then, the movies were out and all of my friends and my husband were so excited to go see it, so I went as well.

I swear, I sat through the whole thing with my jaw dropped the entire time. How? How had I never read these books?!? I kept asking myself.

By the time the second movie had come out, I had read the entire trilogy along with "The "Hobbit".

The richness of the stories, the writing, the world that was created and cared for, it blew me away. I think I will always cherish these books no matter what.

So leave a comment and tell me what book left a lasting impression upon you!

5 Books That Left A Mark...

As writers, we hope that our books will make someone's top 5 or top 10 list of books that made a lasting impression. As readers, though, we have our own list. I'll be posting each week, my top 5 books that left a lasting impression on me.

I might cheat a bit... lots of the books that inspired me were in a series.

So on that note, we're going to start with #5 right off the bat!

Book Title: Pet Sematary

Author: Stephen King

Why this left a lasting impression on me:

Stephen King, without a doubt, was one of my go-to authors when it came to horror way back when. Up until I read Pet Sematary, I had read "Christine" and "Carrie". Sure, those were great creepfests, but they didn't impact me like Pet Sematary did.

I could NOT sleep!!! It scared the ever loving beejeezus out of me. Seriously. I was nineteen when I read the book. When I was through, not only was I thoroughly freaked out, but I was inspired. I wanted to write a horror story!

I did attempt to write one, but gave up. I thought, I'll never be as spooky as Stephen King. However, I think that is about to change! I've lately been dipping my toe... ok, my whole right leg, into the horror pool.

So thank you, Mr. King, for giving me inspiration, nightmares and a genuine love for horror!

Leave me a comment and tell me one of the books that left a lasting impression.

Giveaway Results...

Thanks to all who helped get the word out about "Wyndham Hall" by Midge Cline! Our drawing was a success and we have a winner!

Joseph Eakin!

You've won a free e-book of Wyndham Hall as well as a $10 gift card to Amazon.

Congratulations!

Author Interview & Giveaway: Midge Cline...

Hey all, I'd like to introduce you to a good friend of mine. She's on the team of authors who are working to get The BREED books out through Midian Entertainment. However, this is her debut book that has nothing to do with the BREED. This is "WYNDHAM HALL", a ghost story set in Ireland with a little Irish history thrown in for good measure. Make sure to read to the end, as we're going to give away a free copy of her e-book plus a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Midge Cline!

Please tell us a little known fact about you.

My favorite animal is the Rhinoceros - I love that they are huge, near sighted and have strong parental instincts. -- they remind me of someone. I tell myself to pull my inner rhino out when facing any obstacles. Rhinos just ram through obstacles. I love that about them.

What was your favorite genre to read growing up? 

Mystery and Horror. 

Is this the genre you currently write in? 

I write mystery, horror and have added Sci-fi fantasy for my upcoming Breed series for Midian Entertainment.

What inspires you to write? 

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN and a few things above that.

What sort of atmosphere do you need to write? 

Quiet would be nice, does not happen often, but would be rather helpful. And coffee -- there must be coffee.

What is your all time favorite book? 

I have read every Dame Agatha Christie book ever written. She is my writing Idol. Her books are my forever favorites.

Who is your all time favorite character that is not your own? 

Miss Marple, I just love that nosy little opinionated lady. She makes me giggle.

Who is your favorite character of your own creation? 

Hmm.. That is a hard one-- I guess KERSA from the upcoming Breed series book of the same name. She is a champion, a warrior and never backs down. I love her strength and her ability to survive what the universe has thrown at her. She sees wrong and right as a black and white issue- no gray areas. She always fights for the oppressed and abused.

When did you decide to become a writer? 

I wrote my first story when I was 4 years old, in crayon. I have just always felt the need to put stories on paper.

Where are you from? 

I was born on the Oregon Coast, We moved to Eastern Washington State when I was 9. - the same time Mt. St. Helens erupted. It was exciting.

Why do you write? 

Because it is something I absolutely cannot - not do- every day. I am just a soul-driven writer.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you have ever been given? 

Write everyday - read even more.

What’s the worst thing someone has ever said about your work? 

They thought it was pathetic and boring- I was 12 - she was 20- she was my sister. She has since changed her mind. But it really hurt at the time.

Has your writing ever been compared to another, famous author? If so, who? 

A certain Publisher once compared my writing style to JD ROBB -- I am still thrilled.

What advice would you pass on to new authors/young authors? 

Write every day- I use writing prompts and keep them in a journal so I can read how much I have changed.

What is the best thing someone has said about your work? 

That I should have been published a long time ago, because they felt my work was inspiring to writers. I love writing - this makes me feel good.

And last, but not least, something really random: 

~ What is your dream vacation? IRELAND -- please?? I will beg.

~ What’s your favorite alcoholic drink? When I drank it was Amaretto Sours. Now I just like my coffee and my coke a cola.

~ Motorcycle or SUV? SUV-- I cannot fit the spawn, grandspawn, dogs and groceries on a motorcycle. -- well at least not comfortably.

~ Real books or eReader? OMG it depends-- in the tub or curled up on my sofa I prefer to hold a real book in my hands, I like audio books while I am driving or in bed, and ebooks in waiting rooms and at the beach or where ever I have a wi-fi connection. I love books so much in any form.

Thanks so much for participating in the interview! Links to Midge Cline's books are below, as well as the details for the giveaway. Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kindle Version, Paperback on Amazon, Smashwords for all other devices.

**Artwork for the book cover was done by Aimee Woodward @ DigiDawgDesigns.**

My Hobbies When I'm Not Writing...

Most of you know I'm a creative person. I don't have just ONE thing that I do.

Sometimes, dear Lord, I wish there was just ONE thing.

Sadly, that's not the way it goes. Or should that be happily? Sometimes, it's both.

Outside of work and writing, I am a gamer, which you all knew. I'm also a crafter, which you also knew.

But there is a LOT to my crafting. I mean a lot... I don't just have a craft room, I have a craft house. When I have a house that is!

So here are a few things I do that I'm pretty dang proud of:

Polymer clay -

I looooove polymer clay. I've gotten to the point where I use white, and paint it myself. I feel it allows me more creative expression.

Mini fairy house charm

Paint & Resin -

I discovered a joy for painting, even though I don't think I'm very good at it. But I am learning quite a bit. Dot painting is my favorite, so far.

Dump pour painting style. 3x3 magnets.

Rock painting.

Dot art

Mixed media -

I watch lots of YouTube tutorials for things. Sometimes, what I watch, inspires much more.

Dragon egg made from plaster of paris and polymer clay.

Egg made from plaster of paris, then painted dump pour style and sealed with a resin coating.

So what are your hobbies outside of writing?

What To Expect When You're Expecting Breed...

I'm going to attempt to give a little insight into the world of The Breed, today.

This world was designed and created by two friends, Charles and Ray, about 20 years ago. We all know how life can move fast, things get put on the back burner and then, all of a sudden, BOOM!!! You're going, "Hey, whatever happened to all that?"

But what happens when you're not exactly a writer?

That's where I came in. I've known Ray for some time. We were old gaming buddies back when gaming was a MuD. (Legends of Cosrin). Ray and I reconnected on Facebook and I got to talking about my writing. At the time, I was working on Adversarius and had just released Veritas.

I'm going to be honest.  I really felt as if I failed as a writer. Of course I self published after being burned a couple times. But honestly, that was my fault for not researching and taking the time to go through proper channels. Oh, the things I learned. I will be finishing the trilogy soon, but in the meantime, I have found a love for supernatural, paranormal, horror stories. And you know what? I'm pretty dang good at scaring the beejeesus out of people.

I know. Vain!

Anyway, Ray and I got to talking about his idea and he directed me to Charles. That was five years ago. I have taken the ideas Charles had and I've worked them into decent stories. I began inviting other authors into this world, getting their take on things. We have a pretty solid core group. All in all, about 6 other authors, not including myself.

*Artwork by Ramses Melendez on ArtStation. NOT associated with Midian Entertainment

At the moment, we're sitting on four full length novels, a short story trilogy and at least two screenplays, with three other stories waiting in the wings. Plus, a super special series that will only be available to members who sign up for the newsletter. We have a myriad of artists who will be doing original artwork for covers and work on graphic novels.

Huzzah!

I hope this has piqued your interest. I'm on pins and needles, myself.

Questions? Comments? You know I love to hear from you! I also have a board on Pinterest dedicated to BREED. If you'd like to check it out, let me know!

Needing My Fix...

The one thing I hate most about moving, is when all of my creative stuff is packed away. I haven't crafted anything in almost a month, now. My computer is packed away. All I have out is my cute little tablet.

Thank goodness it has a keyboard!! Otherwise, posting would be an autocorrect nightmare.

The other good thing, is I'm able to continue writing. Gotta love having the MS Word app.

I'm getting excited for the release of BREED. I'm still looking for a countdown banner to put up here. In the meantime, I can share the link to the website at the very least!.

I'll share that link at the end of this post.

One of our authors will be debuting with a series based on the Fae. In August, she'll be releasing her very first self-pubbed MG ghost story. I will host a giveaway at that time, so be sure to check back here often!

Hope you are all having a great Monday and had a good weekend!

BREED Website

Moving Forward...

There are always times when life just moves so fast! It's been over a year since moving to Oregon. Now, we're in the middle of moving once again. My friend, and fellow author, Nancy claims I am her Gypsy friend! I'll take it.

Our move, this time, is local. We're hoping it will be our "forever" home, or very close to it. Right now, we're waiting for inspections to be done and walls to go up.

In the meantime, I've been crafting and packing and working on the house. Writing has taken a back seat, but with crafting stuff packed away, writing is going to take the driver's wheel.

I hope.

Blogging comes next. Book promotions and getting things ready for the release of The Breed is something that has been ongoing for quite some time. It just hasn't made it here.

In the next few days, I hope to have a countdown banner for The Breed release. At that time, I will share links of the website and the authors and other members of the team helping to get this amazing world out into the light of day.

Or rather, the dark of night.

Hope all is well with you! See you soon!